Protective fitness: How training can make you harder to break and faster to react in 2026

Before you head to the gym or park, I’d like to share some training insights, based on over 35 years training in the martial arts and combative systems, along with my work in the private security field.

My focus is on functional training, designed to develop a range of physical and mental attributes. Protective fitness should be conducive to longevity and have real-world applications.

Rather than training for a specific sport, event or single goal, my focus is on a fitness regimen that enhances daily life and provides a vital edge in my professional work.

A Versatile Approach

Today, people lead busy lives and are often time-restricted. However, you can still train in such a way that you reach your fitness goals and gain capabilities that help you in day-to-day living or unexpected survival situations. The key is to make your training holistic and versatile.

In the UK, the threat environment has changed. Aggression can be unleashed suddenly. My training system, Tri-Tier, places a key focus on personal safety, but this goes hand in hand with fitness. By building a strong physical foundation, you gain agility and endurance that can be useful when you need to avoid, navigate or exit high-risk situations.

When you’re in tune with your body, you will have better awareness to detect trouble in advance. When you have good movement skills, you will have the physical and mental agility to evade hostile individuals. When energy levels are high, you will be more alert.

When you’ve built decent levels of stamina through aerobic and anaerobic conditioning, along with speed, you will be more effective at escaping from a threat.

In contrast, someone who looks lethargic, distracted and less confident may prove to be a more inviting target to certain criminals. In Tri-Tier, we begin with three levels: stillness, resilience and tactics.

Stillness training focuses on mind-body practices, but there are also movements to help people relax and let go of tension. A relaxed body is often less likely to get injured and can move in more subtle ways. A relaxed body can move with agility and grace. It’s harder to break.

The resilience tier contains specific exercises to handle fear, impact or unexpected situations, but physical fitness still plays a useful role as part of the tempering process.

Our physical training is aimed at building real-time resilience. Strong ligaments and tendons, joint mobility and efficient body mechanics help a person function under pressure and keep going, even when faced with intensity or multiple challenges.

The tactics tier is where we access and hone self-protection skills. This too can be enhanced through intelligent exercises.

Learning to Adapt

Rather than simply sharing an intriguing set workout plan, I want to stress that your training has to fit your lifestyle, your current state of health and your objectives. I don’t follow a rigid, prescriptive routine. I’m helping people prepare for the unexpected and by varying how I train, it keeps me sharp and works the body from different angles. It trains you to be adaptive.

That said, training should have some consistency for progress to be made. If you change routines too quickly, you might not be giving a method the chance to deliver results. Just don’t stagnate.

Each week, I make sure training ticks key boxes. There will be some resistance training, some cardio or endurance work, a session with high-intensity drills such as sprints, and specialised exercises for specific attributes such as grip strength or balance. In terms of resistance training, I prefer bodyweight work, as it allows you to train the body as a whole rather than isolating individual muscle groups.

My approach to defence tactics is based on fluidity and flowing around incoming aggression rather than brute strength. Still, there are moments in life where strength is useful, so I sometimes use kettlebells for physical conditioning. It’s not about developing muscle bulk.

Kettlebells and other forms of resistance training are helpful for metabolic conditioning and, as people get older, can counter age-related decreases in muscle mass.

Another form of training I carry out regularly is stretching. People often assume flexibility in martial arts is about high kicks or acrobatic moves. My approach consists of natural movements that are accessible to people of all ages and practical regardless of what one is wearing. There’s no focus on show-based techniques. It’s about survival. So why stretch?

Good levels of flexibility help with mobility and injury prevention. Relaxed, steady stretching is effective at releasing tension from the body and offers wider health benefits. It’s also part of our stillness training, helping to develop calm under pressure.

Intuitive and Intelligent Training

It was almost 30 years ago that I trained in the USA with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu legend Rickson Gracie. At the time, Rickson was a leading MMA champion, but that wasn’t why I was there. MMA is a tough sport and can take a heavy toll on competitors. What stood out was that this world-class martial artist, in phenomenal shape, had developed a holistic approach to training.

He had an intuitive, free-flowing approach to physical conditioning, using breathing techniques, floor-based movements and stretching to support his fighting skills. This inspired me to explore this way of understanding exercise and training more deeply.

The concept of intuitive training was further reinforced when I trained with instructors from combative systems rooted in military special units. Intuitive, intelligent training is about listening to your body. You develop a sense of when to push and when to rest, and which movements are helpful or harmful. My own years of training have reinforced the idea that the body has its own intuitive intelligence that we can learn to work with.

Nature’s Training Ground

Much of my training is primal in nature and I prefer to train outdoors. Every day includes movement skills and tactical training, which develop agility, footwork and awareness. In Tri-Tier, we also have a daily health practice known as The Sequence. This includes movements designed to improve joint mobility and release accumulated muscular tension.

Some of these movements come from ancient Chinese Taoist martial arts and Cossack fighting traditions. The Taoist spiral-like movements are especially effective at engaging the fascia and freeing the body, supporting greater mobility and injury prevention.

When beginning a New Year fitness regime, enthusiasm is often high. To maintain consistency throughout the year, don’t neglect warm-ups and be selective about the exercises you choose. Just because a fitness influencer promotes a workout doesn’t mean it’s right for your body.

As part of my daily training, I also use footwork drills and postures known as kamae from Taijutsu. This art is believed to originate from practices used by the Shinobi, intelligence gatherers of feudal Japan, known in popular culture as ninja. These drills improve balance, agility and adaptability, particularly on uneven terrain. Beyond self-defence, they’re useful for navigating crowds or reacting quickly in everyday life.

My bodyweight exercises include push-ups, squats, lunges and hanging leg raises, often combined with static isometric holds. This may involve holding the top position of a push-up for extended periods or practising martial arts stances such as the horse stance found in various Kung Fu styles. These methods also build mental resilience.

A Chinese master in his seventies, who remained highly functional and agile, inspired me to continue using these practices. The advantage is that they require little or no equipment and are accessible to almost anyone.

Running is another form of aerobic training I use, though it doesn’t suit everyone, particularly those with injuries or medical conditions. Walking can be a suitable alternative and offers significant physical and mental benefits.

Movement Skills and Balance

The body must function both vertically and horizontally. For this reason, we include floor-based movement skills and falling techniques to reduce injury risk. Falls can happen in sport, the workplace or everyday life. In confrontational situations, someone may be pushed or thrown to the ground. Law enforcement professionals are familiar with this reality. Ground-based drills enhance resilience, confidence and practical capability.

Balance training is especially important as people age. We practise one-legged stances and partner drills that challenge balance under pressure.

Balance also applies to training intensity. Overtraining can lead to injury or fatigue that reduces alertness when it matters most. That’s why we balance demanding sessions with breathing practices, restorative exercises and adequate recovery.

Gearing Up for 2026

These are just some insights into my physical training. To summarise, if you want to be harder to break and faster to react in 2026, make training a way of life rather than a New Year fad. Even if your goals are aesthetic, training can still be functional. Protective fitness is a holistic, versatile approach that develops mind and body together through steady, intelligent and balanced training.

Good luck with your progress.

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Aran Dharmeratnam is a private security consultant and founder of Tri-Tier Training. He helps executives, families and organisations reduce risk through threat recognition, situational awareness and practical self-defence training.

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